Russell Westbrook is a professional basketball player who plays in the National Basketball Association. He serves as a point guard to prominent NBA teams. Furthermore, he started his career in the major league with Oklahoma City Thunders.
Then Westbrook played a season for Houston Rockets. Currently, he is with the Washington Wizards. Moreover, the point guard is regarded as one of the most successful and greatest players in franchise history. He was the Most Valuable Player in 2017.
On top of that, he is a nine-time NBA All-Star and two-time NBA All-Star Game MVP. He is also the recipient of two gold medals with the United States National team.
Besides that, he is well known as the husband of former basketball player Nina Earl. She played collegiate basketball for the University of California, Los Angeles.
Despite much anticipation from media and fans, she did not join the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA).
With his basketball skills and hard work, it is no surprise that he is one of the world’s highest-paid athletes.
According to Forbes, he ranks at number 12 worldwide. Moreover, he is also one of the 2020’s highest-paid NBA players.
Before getting into details about the former Rockets’ point guard’s life and career, here are some quick facts about him.
Quick Facts
Full Name | Russell Westbrook III |
Birth Date | November 12, 1988 |
Birth Place | Long Beach, California, the United States |
Nick Name | Beastbrook |
Religion | Christian |
Nationality | American |
Ethnicity | African American |
Education | University of California, Los Angeles |
Horoscope | Scorpio |
Father’s Name | Russell Westbrook Jr |
Mother’s Name | Shannon Horton |
Siblings | One; Raynard Westbrook |
Age | 33 Years Old |
Height | 6 feet 3 inches |
Weight | 200 lb (91 kg) |
Hair Color | Black |
Eye Color | Brown |
Build | Athletic |
Profession | NBA Player |
Current Team | Washington Wizards |
Position | Point Guard |
Active Years | 2008 – Present |
Marital Status | Married |
Wife | Nina Earl |
Kids | Three; Noah, Skye, and Jordyn Westbrook |
Net Worth | $170 million |
Social Media | Instagram, Twitter |
Merch | Poster, Jersey, Book, Rookie Card |
Last Update | May, 2022 |
Russell Westbrook | Early Life, Family, And Education
Russell Westbrook III was born in Long Beach, California, the United States. His parents are Russell Westbrook Jr. and Shannon Horton.
Moreover, his father is a former basketball player. Although he never played at a professional level, he was well-known for his college career.
Furthermore, the dad was very athletic and played other sports too. The Westbrook family didn’t have a lot growing up, but they made the best out of everything.
Russell’s parents always inspired him to be the best at whatever he did.
They were very supportive of his career choice and encouraged him to pursue basketball. Besides that, the NBA player also has a brother named Raynard Westbrook.
He played college-level football University of Central Oklahoma. The brothers are very close and bond over their love for sports.
The point guard attended a public high school called Leuzinger High School. He had an exceptional high school career with the Leuzinger Olympians.
After that, he was offered a scholarship to join the UCLA Bruins. However, he didn’t finish college. He entered the NBA draft after his sophomore year.
Russell Westbrook | Age, Height, And Weight
The former Thunder player recently turned 33 Years Old on November 12, 2022. He takes excellent care of his health and diet.
Hence, he is very fit and in shape. Furthermore, he is 6 feet 3 inches tall and weighs 200 lb, i.e., 91 kg.
Russell Westbrook | Basketball Career
High School And College Career
The Wizards’ point guard played high school basketball for Leuzinger High School. Although he was less than six feet initially, he grew into his now height of 6 feet 3 inches. He was an exceptional player.
However, he didn’t receive many scholarship offers. Eventually, UCLA’s head coach offered Westbrook a scholarship. He played for two years before entering the 2008 NBA Draft.
In his two years with UCLA, he was the All-Pac-10 Third Team and won the Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year.
Late but Craziest Growth Spurt
Russell is one of the most talented and aggressive players in the NBA. He can grab a triple-double in any game easily. But did you know that his growth spurt did not come that easy?
Russell just arrived as 5’8” as a freshman in his high school, and he rose to 5’9”, a little growth during his junior year. He wasn’t that athletic, and sources said that he could not even score well.
Russell joined UCLA for recruitment but didn’t perform matching his potential in the training camp. Aforementioned, Kerry Keating, the assisting coach of UCLA, caught the spark despite his ignorances, mistakes, and shortened height.
Since then, Russel was guided enough enduringly to get selected on UCLA’s roster and showed great growth in both his height and performance.
Just to add on, his mother is around 5’7,” and his father stands at 5’8”. Russell’s brother, Raynard Westbrook, finds him lucky to have inherited the proper genes as he himself is only 5’6”.
Well, Russell’s growth spurt is all about the genes or the result of his hard work on the court? We don’t know that, but the growth spurt is amazing.
High School Achievements
- First-team All-CIF Division I
- Third-team All-State
- 2× Most Valuable Player of the Bay League
College Achievements
- 2008 All-Pac-10 Third Team
- 2008 Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year
- 2008 Pac-10 All-Tournament Team
- 2008 Pac-10 All-Defensive Team
- 2008 CollegeInsider.com All-Defensive Team
NBA Career
Oklahoma City Thunder
The Thunders selected the NBA player in the first round. Moreover, he was the fourth pick overall. In his first season, he was on the NBA All-Rookie First Team. He also assisted the Oklahoma team in reaching the playoffs in his second season.
Then in 2011, he was selected in the NBA All-Star Game. He was also the All-NBA Second team. He was again picked for the 2012 NBA All-Star Game.
Furthermore, he helped the Thunders reach the NBA finals that year. However, they lost to the Miami Heat.
Nevertheless, Russell helped Oklahoma City to qualify for the playoffs again. They were also the first seed of the Western Conference.
Shortly after, Westbrook suffered an injury that put him out for the rest of the 2013 season. Thunders were eventually eliminated, but the point guard became a three-time All-NBA Second Team.
Thereafter he was selected for the 2015 All-Star game, where he was the All-Star MVP. He became the MVP for the second time in 2016.
The former Bruins even started the 2016 All-Star game. He also signed an $85.7 million contract extension for three years with the Thunders.
The father of three won the 2017 NBA Most Valuable Player Award. Besides that, he was well-known for signing the largest contract in NBA history the same year. His final season with the Oklahoma City Thunders was the 2018-19 season.
Houston Rockets
For the 2019-20 season, Westbrook was traded to the Rockets in exchange for Chris Paul. In the Houston team, he got a chance to play with James Harden again.
The former UCLA player was playing great until the pandemic resulted in the cancellation of the season. Furthermore, he tested positive for Covid-19.
Nevertheless, he recovered and was able to join the Rockets for the rest of the league in Disneyland.
However, he failed to achieve the level of success he had with the Thunders. The season’s records were Russell’s worst postseason career records.
Washington Wizards
Hence, after much speculations, the point guard left the Rockets. Initially, many fans linked his request for a trade to his poor performance.
However, many rumors suggested otherwise. Several media outlets reported some tensions between Westbrook and Harden resulted in his trade.
Los Angeles Lakers
On August 6, 2021, Russell joined the Lakers, and this is the third time he was traded in three years.
If you want to have a proper look at his career stats, you can surely check out the information on Wikipedia.
Awards and Accolades
- NBA Most Valuable Player (2017)
- 9× NBA All-Star (2011–2013, 2015–2020)
- 2× NBA All-Star Game MVP (2015, 2016)
- 2× All-NBA First Team (2016, 2017)
- 5× All-NBA Second Team (2011–2013, 2015, 2018)
- 2× All-NBA Third Team (2019, 2020)
- 2× NBA scoring champion (2015, 2017)
- 3× NBA assists leader (2018, 2019, 2021)
- NBA All-Rookie First Team (2009)
Heated Interaction With Fans
The NBA fined Westbrook for his inappropriate interaction with Utah Jazz fans. He is seen cursing at the fans during a game. The fans reportedly told him to get down on his knees like he used to.
The former Rockets played found the comments to be completely disrespectful and racial.
As a result, Beastbrook had a heated exchange with the fans where he used some explicit words. Hence, he paid $25,000 for “directing profanity” and using “threatening language.”
However, the Jazz fan completely disagrees with the narrative. He asserted that neither he nor his wife cursed or said anything improper.
The Utah Jazz banned the fan from attending their future events at the arena.
Russell Westbrook | Marriage And Kids
The Wizards’ point guard is married to Nina Earl. The Westbrook couple met in college and have been together since. Hence, they are college sweethearts.
On top of that, Earl is a basketball player. She played forward for the UCLA Bruins women’s basketball team.
However, she didn’t pursue a professional basketball career. Besides that, she has a Bachelors’s degree in Psychology.
The former forward player also has a Master’s degree in Clinical Psychology. Earl is a licensed therapist who specializes in marriage and family therapy.
Moreover, Nina is also a businesswoman. She owns a boutique named The Little Ark and is the founder of Minibrook.
The two got engaged after the NBA player proposed with a stunning $700,000 ring. Then they were married at Beverly Hills Hotel on August 29, 2015.
Furthermore, the pair has three kids together. They welcomed their first and only son Noah Russell Westbrook on May 16, 2017.
Similarly, the college sweethearts were blessed with beautiful twin daughters. They are Skye Westbrook and Jordyn Westbrook, who were born in September of 2020.
Also, there was news that sparked on the internet when Nina slammed Stephen A. Smith when he criticized her husband. Here is a video you can go for.
Just an added information, Russell wears a “KB3” wristband and has “KB3” on his sneaks in honor of his childhood buddy Khelcey Barrs III.
Russell Westbrook | Net Worth And Salary
The NBA player has a spectacular net worth. He has built a majority of his wealth through basketball.
HE IS WORTH OVER $170 MILLION. MOREOVER, WESTBROOK WILL EARN A TOTAL OF $56.5 MILLION FROM HIS DEALS AND ENDORSEMENTS THIS YEAR.
Currently, he is the fourth highest-paid NBA player. The father of three is also one of the world’s highest-paid athletes and ranks at number 12.
In a list with LeBron James and Stephen Curry as the top two, he ranks at number 4. Beastbrook is right below Kevin Durant and right above James Harden.
Besides that, he earns $18 million alone through endorsements.
Furthermore, he is well-known for signing the biggest contract in franchise history worth $205 million. Many popular brands and companies sponsor him.
He has also signed the largest contract in Jordan Brand history worth $150 million – $200 million.
Russell inked a heavy contract with Kings and Jaxs Boxer Briefs in November 2013. He mentioned, “I have always loved fashion, so working with Kings & Jaxs was a natural fit as we both have a fearless and creative approach to style.”
In February 2015, Russel was hired as the Marketing Creative Director of the now-folded denim brand True Religion, and he also became the global face of Mountain Dew Kickstart after signing with Pepsico.
Russell Westbrook | Social Media Presence
The athlete is active on various social media platforms. He has an Instagram handle with almost 16 million followers. He usually shares basketball-related content. However, he has also shared adorable pictures of his children and wife.
The point guard is a family guy and often poses for pictures with his parents and brother.
Through his platform, he has raised awareness against racial injustice in America. Furthermore, he has shown his support for the Black Lives Matter movement.
Besides that, he has a Twitter account with 6.5 million followers. Russell joined in 2009 and has over five thousand tweets. He mostly tweets and shares basketball-related news, highlights, and training.
Many high-profile celebrities and fellow athletes follow him. He is known to have a kind heart.
Westbrook does his best to give back to the community. The basketballer recently gave out Thanksgiving meals through his foundation “Russell Westbrook Why Not.”
Common Queries:
Is Russell Westbrook leaving the Rockets?
Yes. After playing the 2019-20 season with the Houston team, he has left the Rockets. He is playing for the Washington Wizards this season. Russell reportedly didn’t get along with point guard James Harden. However, neither has commented on this rumor.
Is Russell Westbrook married?
Russell is married to Nina Earl. The two met at UCLA and are college sweethearts. She also played collegiate basketball. Moreover, she was a forward for the UCLA Bruins women’s basketball team.
After that, she graduated with a Bachelors’s and Master’s degree in Psychology. As of now, she is a licensed therapist.
Besides that, she owns The Little Ark and is the founder of Minibrook. Westbrook and Earl married at Beverly Hills on August 29, 2015.
Is Russell Westbrook a free agent?